Twisted Reality
by Crazy Cougar
Summary: Taken from her own world, a girl gets the chance to experience her childhood dream as reality and explore the Pokemon world. Many new adventures await her in her new life.
1. Chapter 1

Hello and welcome to my Pokemon story.

After reading several Creepypasta Pokemon stories, I ended up with some inspiration for a story of my own. That being said, this story will start out being in a first-person view. I couldn't _not_ include details, so hopefully you'll have a decent idea of how the main character is just from this first chapter. History, or background, toward Pokemon was the most important part for getting this story started, so that's what's given here. More details will be added as the story continues, of course.

~I hope you enjoy reading~

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Chapter 1: The Beginning

I have a terrible habit. No matter what I did or tried, the habit never left me. It didn't matter how much time passed, let alone how little time passed. The horrible habit just wouldn't leave me alone. It started when I was six, I think, when I started playing games. No, not monopoly or anything; Pokemon. Pokemon Yellow, my first game, was probably the cause of my bad habit.

You see, I can't keep playing a game for too long. It wasn't the games fault, no, it was mine. The game could be at the most boring part, or the most exciting and best part. It didn't matter. The same thing happened almost every time, I would get only just so far along, then I would stop playing for months at a time. Some games went years without attention, Kingdom Hearts being the worst case. I got to Aladin's world, see, then I didn't play for nearly two years. When I picked it up again, I couldn't remember the controls and had to start all over again. I made it to Ariel's world that time, then set it down again. I haven't played since.

Now, you're probably wondering how Pokemon Yellow was the cause of such a nasty habit. Well, let me tell you how. When I first started playing, I was worse than the average dumb kid. I actually thought I had to be in Prof. Oak's lab, in front of the instructions poster behind him, in order to save. Not to mention it took me several days of wondering around, not doing anything but leveling up my Pikachu, to figure out that I had to deliver a parcel to Prof. Oak before I could do anything else. By the time I delivered the parcel, my little electric friend was already level thirty. No joke. Brock was easy to beat with Slam, so I moved past his gym real quick. But then came Cerulean... I couldn't go back through Mt. Moon, so I was stuck. Without being able to save. So I thought, at least. Thanks to that, my stupid little kid self started a new game after a day of being in despair of losing all that work I did. Again, I couldn't do much. After all, I had to be in front of that poster in the lab if I wanted to save. It didn't take long for me to just put the game down. After a few days of not playing, however, I jumped right back into it. That time, however, I ran a little test before I got too far. Outside of the lab, and I mean right outside it and in directly front of the door, I tried opening the menu and saving. When it worked, I was ecstatic! As well as very, very annoyed. After all, I lost all my previous work because I couldn't save.

The point of my telling you this is simple. You see, the same thing happened with almost every game - including my beloved HeartGold. You may be asking why I say beloved, so I'll tell you the reason. Charizard is my favorite Pokemon, in every game. Doesn't matter what game, doesn't matter what new Pokemon show up, Charizard is always my favorite. Always at the front of my team whenever possible. HeartGold is the first game I managed to get a Shiny Charizard - my dream, my ultimate favorite. When that little golden Charmander hatched, I swear I nearly squeeled. I'm not the type to squeel, but I think a small one escaped me anyway I was so happy. I managed to keep playing for months without putting it down, but eventually, my habit won out and I ended up putting the game down. Like usual.

I never really liked nickanming my Pokemon, so they remained without names. I tried getting into it a few times before, in the earlier games, but I'd always forget which one had which name and I'd only be frustrated at the idea that nicknaming was even possible. Only for the games though, I nicknamed every one of them in roleplays. I had half a nerve to try conquering my habit and play the game again just so I could nickname my shiny Charizard. He'd be the only one with a nickname, and like I could ever forget him anyway.

Nearly a year passed after I put the game down, and I finally got myself to play again. I didn't change the game out at all, so the DS went untouched the entire time. The first thing I did when I started the game up and selected continue was stare at that little black Charizard beside my trainer sprite. After a moment of just staring with a smile, I opened the menu and went to the Pokemon page, opening his stats to check on him. I knew where I left off, even if I did leave it alone for a year or so, thanks to never leaving my team unhealed. I was training just outside in the grass around the Pokemon Center. My lovely Charizard was only level seventy-one, and I wanted to get him to one-hundred. Even with my bad habit, I really wanted to try. The other members in my team were my starter Typhlosion, level ninty-nine, Tyranitar, level sixty, Metagross, level forty-five, Dragonite, level fifty-six, and Pidgeotto, level twenty-three. Pidgeotto was the only one other than Charizard to always be in my team. I could only justify him being there because he could learn Fly, though. As you may be able to tell from the other members, I typically force myself to keep the hard-hitters in my team instead of just going with my favorites. If I had it my way, Charizard, Pidgeotto, Umbreon, Ninetales, Absol and Grovyle would have the best stats and always be in my team. And, if things went even further my way, Charizard and Ninetales would always be shinies. But, alas, it just wasn't possible.

My character name was Sunset, and I had played the game for more than one-hundred and ten hours, had sixteen badges, and one-hundred and ninty-one Pokemon in my dex. I wanted to get all of the Pokemon, sure, but training up my team was always the first priority with me. So, finally playing again, I continued my training. I headed straight for the grass to look for some wild Pokemon to fight. It didn't take long at all for a wild Ponyta to appear, and I sent out my Charizard. I was tempted to use Flamethrower, just because it was my favorite fire-type attack, but I wanted to train fast. Flamethrower would wait until I battled a Tangela or something, so I selected Slash instead. Wing Attack probably would have worked just as well, but Slash was always my favorite normal-type attack and my buddy always had that move, same as Flamethrower. It was a critical hit, and the Ponyta fainted in the first round.

Instead of going back to the overworld after the experience was received, the screen seemed to have frozen where it was, but blank except for my shiny Charizard's back sprite. That was where things got strange. My Charizard actually turned around, right where he was, and faced the screen. Instead of that set frown-like expression all Charizard always had, he was smirking. I knew I was supposed to be creeped out or something, but seeing him without a frown made me smile instead. Or maybe I smirked as well, I'm not really sure. Then things got even more strange. Text appeared saying, "You were gone for a long time."

Seeing that text made me blink a couple times, then stare at Charizard again. I had read plenty of creepypasta stories before, so my illogical side was begging me to shut the game down right then and there. I ignored that completely, smiling brightly instead. Even if things got bad, I wouldn't care. Ever since reading my first creepypasta, I could only dream of having my Pokemon talk to me, mainly my Charizard. And here he was, seemingly talking to me. The giddyness over-rode my guilt toward my bad habit, and I only continued smiling. But then my logical side took over, forcing me to realize that it could simply be a glitch. The thought dropped my smile into a small frown. It couldn't be hacked, considering the game never left my sight after I bought it. Even when I wasn't playing it, it sat next to me. But a glitch, those could happen after time. When I frowned, however, Charizard shook his head. "You... aren't a glitch?"

As if my dream Pokemon could actually hear me, text popped up saying, "No, I'm not a glitch. Not hacked, either." I was finding it hard to not smirk again when I read that. Oh, how thrilled I was. But then I remembered some, no, most, of the creepypasta stories I read and couldn't help but frown slightly again, this time in guilt. "Are you mad...?" I hadn't played for such a long time, even after I had wanted nothing more than to over-ride that dumb habit. Much to my relief, the sprite shoot his head again. A smile replaced my frown at that, then text popped up again. It said, "Did you miss me?" A yes/no option had popped up as well, and there was no hesitation at all with selecting the answer, which was obviously yes. Even without playing, my shiny Charizard never left my mind. I could be focused on another game, working, reading, it didn't matter. He was never far from my mind.

He believed me, too, I could tell. He closed his eyes and lowered his head, the smirk on his face shifting into a smile. Either he was hopeful, optimistic, or truly knew. But then things kinda took a turn into the "shut off the game right now you freaking idiot" zone. I felt like I was being stretched. Not like stretching my muscles, but like being pulled apart. I started to panic a bit, my breathing quickening. Charizard opened one eye, not losing the smile, and more text appeared. I barely managed to focus enough to read it, even though it was only a single word. It said "Relax." Even my illogical side, the side that believed in the creepypasta stories, calmed down at that simple word. The reason? Simple. In all of the stories, the Pokemon always said "And now you die!" or something else along those lines when something bad was happening. Apparently, my being stretched wasn't a bad thing. At least, if I chose to believe the dragon... Which I tried to. And the very second I tried to relax, my entire body felt numb. Only a moment passed after I numbed when everything went black. I had fallen unconscious.

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So there you have it, the first chapter of (hopefully) many.

The rating for this story is what it is because of what's planned for further in. Violence is a guarantee, and there will be plenty of swearing done by a future character. Until said character makes an entrance, however, language will be pretty mild with nearly no cursing. As another side note, I'm unsure if romance will be included or not. If it is, it will be between OC's and not originals. What I _can_ guarantee, however, is that the main characters from the show and games will be their own. Ash wont be showing up, neither will Gary, or any of those others. Just the professors and the gym leaders and such. Oh, and who could forget nurse Joy and officer Jenny? I've thought of not including those two, but hey, what's Pokemon without them?

Please comment, review, whatever, with any thoughts.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Suspicions

When I came to, I was lying in a bed. Not mine, but I was never one to wake up fast and so I simply looked around with half-closed eyes. After a couple minutes passed, I dragged myself out of the bed and took a good look around. I knew the room, though I shouldn't. Well, maybe I should. It was a 3D, or realistic, Gold room. The character Gold, from the HeartGold game. I always chose the male character in every game, so I half expected to have been turned into a guy. Looking down at myself, I took notice that I was indeed still a girl. But, oddly enough, I wasn't in the clothes I remembered being in, or the clothes the characters from the games or shows wore. Instead, I was in my black shorts and black tank top with a red tribal dragon design on the front. I even had my black shoes on, though I had been asleep in a bad. Seeing that, I couldn't help but shrink a bit. The only thought that came to mind was that some weird pervert had gone through my clothes and changed me as if I were a doll. And if that were the case, the room might be a simple recreation prop that some stalker made.

Not too sure what to do and not having anything with me, let alone a weapon, I slowly made my way to the door. I cracked it open and peeked through, seeing stairs leading down. The games always had a stair case, but no door. Well, if this was a recreation prop, the person that made it at least had decency and gave the privacy that was needed for a bedroom. Still weary, I slowly made my way down the stairs. Karate lessons or no, I had never been in any kind of situation where I had to fight. Never been in any situation, period, actually. I made it down the stairs and looked around the open room. A woman was there, and she spotted me before I could get back and hide against the wall. "Sunset! You sleep far too much, you know. If you don't hurry, Professor Elm might not have any Pokemon left for you! Breakfast can come later, you should hurry."

Okay, that was weird... She called me by the name I always used online. And the name I used for just about every game, but still. Weird. Trying to shrug it off, I quickly headed for the door. I knew the layout of the house immediately, thanks to playing the games so much. Well, if it was just a recreation, the door leading outside -should- be the exit... No guarantee that it was, though. I opened the door, and you can only imagine my surprise. It actually lead outside. Either the stalker-pervert person was letting me go after playing dress-up, or the outside was a controlled area that the prop house was put in. As for the woman, he probably hired her to give me a false sense of security. Well, it was times like these that paranoia was a gift and might even come in handy for saving your life. After all, you couldn't be stabbed in the back if you were paranoid enough to always keep an eye out.

What I found incredibly strange, however, was the area outside of the prop house. It was... perfectly constructed. It looked exactly like it would in the Pokemon game, only in 3D and realistic instead of 2D and pixeled. I couldn't help but shake my head. Either the stalker was loaded in cash, or it was the government that kidnapped me. Research was always over-funded, and almost always required test subjects that were greatly lacking. After the thought entered my mind, I froze and examined myself. If I was a test subject, there were sure to be needle marks, heart readers, or some other stuff somewhere on me. Finding nothing after a quick once over, I sighed. Not a test subject. At least, not for something involving drugs or something.

By this point, I was incredibly uneasy. If the town was so perfectly reproduced, the only way out was through that small walkway and some grass. I took one step in that direction, then stopped. That woman said there were Pokemon... And that Professor Elm was there... ... It seemed impossible, unless animals were somehow mutated into a close-enough semblance of the creatures. But my curiosity got the better of me, and I headed for the lab instead of the possible way out of the place. I stood outside the building for maybe five minutes before I finally gathered up enough courage to go through with my curiosity and open the door. As expected I was noticed immediately, but that didn't matter as much as the professor did. The guy looked exactly like Professor Elm did! Yeah, sure, some guy could be using a wig and stuff, but still. It was weird.

There were two guys in there, Elm and some other guy. The assistant. Whoever set this up really wanted me thinking I was in the game... Cautiously, I made my way over to the professor and the table that always had pokeballs on it. Surprisingly enough, there was one sitting there in the center. I had seen plenty of pokeball toys, so it wasn't hard to believe the guy placed one there after getting hold of it. "Sunset, there you are! I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up." Sunset again. Okay, the stalker obviously knew the name I'd prefer to go by if he were to stick me into some weird Pokemon recreation. Instead of creeped out, however, I found it interesting. He spoke again, forcing me to once more pay attention to him. "There's only one Pokemon left, so take that one. You better get going, you're already well behind everyone else. Oh, and take this." He handed me a strange phone, obviously what was supposed to be a Pokedex, then motioned to the pokeball. What he said reminded me of the show, the very beginning of the show. You never had more than one rival in the games, unless what I've heard about the new crap generation is true and you have two, but Ash was always trying to catch up to Gary and the other, unknown trainers in the show itself.

I simply mumbled my thanks, keeping an eye on him, and grabbed the pokeball. He didn't seem like he wanted to restrict me, and the guy playing the part of the assistant wasn't even paying attention, so I quickly left. Once outside again, I examined the ball. It was pretty realistic. Not a toy, I didn't think, but a model. "Hm. Interesting..." Laughing to myself, I started heading for the path and fumbled with the ball. Even if it was only a model, it could probably open. There was probably a Pokemon card or figurine in it, too. Or maybe knockout gas. I didn't want to think of that last possibility, so I quickly shoved the thought from my mind and clicked the button to open it.

My eyes widened in shock when the ball opened and out came a red light, hitting the ground in front of me. "No way..." The words were mumbled, and I could only watch while trying to logically explain what was happening. Did the stalker guy actually create something close to Pokemon? And if so, being in Johto, which mutated animal of a starter was going to pop up? Chikorita? I could only hope not. Totodile? Wasn't a bad choice, but still. A crocodile would probably try to eat me. Cyndaquil? That was always my choice in the games, so I'd count myself lucky. But, the Pokemon not being real, I'd feel horrible if some poor creature was burning alive.

You can only imagine the level of shock I reached when the Pokemon formed and the pokeball closed. It was a Charmander. And not a normal one, either. It was golden. Shiny. I didn't even realize that I was gawking at the lizard that was standing upright on its hind legs. Its tail was on fire, it didn't seem to be in pain, and it was a real live Charmander. What's more, it wasn't smiling. It was smirking. At least that's what it looked like. "At last." And he spoke... Actual words, not Pokemon words... The Pokemon... could talk...

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Well now, got part two out faster than I thought I would. Maybe I'll get lucky and get the third chapter out today as well~

So. Same as last chapter. Please give me your thoughts in a comment, review, etcetera. Maybe also comment on the length of the chapters. I'm not sure if I'm making them too small or too long.

~Thanks for reading~


	3. Chapter 3

This is the last chapter strictly for information purposes, and the last chapter done in first person.

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Chapter 2: Dream or Reality

"I know, I know, I'm not a Charizard yet. But don't you worry, I'll get there." I was still gawking while the Pokemon spoke. And he even mentioned not being a Charizard _yet_. There just... No... There was just no way... My expression was obviously funny, considering he laughed then. "Like it? I made sure everyone knew you as Sunset here, since you prefer to be called that than your real name. Oh, but it's only a nickname. Your full name is known as Setsuna Xion." I was in complete disbelief, and stunned into silence. "Sunset? Hey, you alright?" I managed a nod, thought my eyes were still as wide as saucers. "So, what was the name you were gonna give me?"

Now that snapped me out of it. He actually knew I was going to give him a name before I even gave him one? Before I even went to the Name Rater? "Saioga... You... Is this... Am I dreaming?" Oh yes, that was a perfect explanation. I was in a dream. Nothing was real. Later, I would wake up and find myself in my bed. Or, maybe I passed out in front of my computer playing the game, and I'd wake up at my desk in a really uncomfortable position in my chair. Yes, that sounded right.

The Charmander laughed again, shaking his head. "Saioga, huh? I like it. And no, you're not dreaming." I had a hard time believing that, and he seemed to be able to tell. "I got a couple of others to help me bring you here. You're actually in the Pokemon world now." My face was a complete mask of disbelief, I knew it. Who had the power to do that? I didn't have Dialga or Palkia, at least I think those were their names, I only had Mew, Mewtwo, Celebi, Groudon... All of them up until the forth generation. Or was it the third I stopped with? No, it was definitely the forth. Kyogre was third, in the Emerald, Ruby, and Sapphire games I owned. None of those guys had that kind of power though. Right? As if he were reading my thoughts, Saioga laughed once again. "Don't remember how much power the Unknown have, do you? You got all of them in the game, and they helped to channel enough power to allow us to bring you here." He knew my question before I even asked, which was a little creepy. "All of us wanted you to come here. We didn't really like you staying away for so long, but we knew you couldn't help it. So we came up with a way to stop that from happening anymore. We brought you here. Now you don't have to worry about putting a game down, because you're actually here, living and breathing."

His explanation made sense, though I still found myself believing I was sound asleep in my chair. I couldn't help but wonder how stiff my neck was bound to be upon waking. Might as well make the best of things though, I thought. "So... How can you talk? Pokemon can't do that. Well, a couple can, but most can't." His grin brightened, and his answer was simple. Simple enough, actually, that it almost rang true. Or maybe it only sounded like it could be true because I was losing it.

"You gave me this ability. I heard you calling out to me almost every day, even though you didn't play the game. That's how I knew you didn't mean to leave us alone, and that's how I learned to speak to you."

Shock was the least of my worries at that point. My dreams rationalized stuff, sure, but not like that. It was at that point that I started to actually believe that I was in the Pokemon world, and not dreaming. I nodded slightly, taking in the information and trying to wrap my head around it. A thought came to mind. "Do I have to start fresh, or will the others be around somewhere?" If this was real, and not a dream, I would be able to have my dream team. I would have Umbreon by my side, and Ninetales, and all the others. Even if I did have to start all over, with the exception of Saioga, I could make it work. And as if knowing my thoughts again, he simply grinned and didn't bother answering. Another thought hit me then, and I couldn't help but worry. "Lavender Town..." If I was in Johto, that meant the Pokemon Tower was taken down and replaced with a radio tower... I always hated that. I hated that anyone could even think to do something that cruel. Ever since I first saw that, I avoided the town like a plague. Maybe it was just because I liked Gastly, or maybe it was because I unknowingly respected the dead more than I thought I did, but I never liked that the game creators could so easily take the tower away.

Feeling something touch my leg while staring off into nothing, I looked down, my eyes focusing once more, and saw Saioga there with a small smile. He knew what I was feeling, and how I felt. He probably didn't like it either. "Don't worry. That didn't happen here, we made sure of it. Celebi got all of the Gastly, and some other Pokemon around there, to stop the workers. The radio tower was put in somewhere else."

That was the best thing I'd heard all day. Sure, there was a chance Pokemon may be real now, but even if it wasn't, the Pokemon Tower still standing was more than enough to bring a smile to my face. I dropped down to my knees and hugged Saioga, getting a return hug from him. "That's great news." Most people hated Lavender Town, and were probably more than happy that the "creepy" part was taken away from it. They were idiots, I think. Sure, the town was sullen and had a fairly creepy feel to it, but that didn't give anyone the right to hate it. The place was for the souls of Pokemon to rest in. A proper burial place. To hear that the tower stood strong, I could only smile.

More at ease, I grinned slightly and pulled away from my little buddy. Come to think of it, he looked more like a salamander than the usual lizard I was stuck with where I currently lived - slick. Not slimy, but smooth. Actually feeling his skin confirmed his appearance, he wasn't rough-skinned at all. "Ready for the usual?" Game or not, training was something I couldn't stay away from. Especially when training would have even more of an affect then it did in the game. There wouldn't be a turn by turn deal either, it would all be real. My Pokemon would be able to actually dodge instead of hoping the mathmatical chance made the opponents attack miss. And no more four moves restriction, either. Never liked the games for that. Having to forget moves to learn new ones was just plain stupid. I did have to shrug off the thought that I had previously had Pokemon dreams that went the same way. If what was happening was only a dream, as was usual, I would enjoy it.

"You like training too much." Saioga laughed, but nodded anyway. "But you bet I am. No more trying to fly on a bird though, alright? Most of them are too small, and the game just doesn't care. I'll be sure to evolve as quick as I can, then I'll fly you everywhere." He grinned with pride while he spoke the last comment, and I loved him even more for it.

"Of course. I'm still determined to have a Pidgeotto by my side, though." He only laughed again at my response. "I probably can't have more than six Pokemon with me at a time still, though..." I rose a curious eyebrow when he pointed to my pocket. Reaching in, I removed the phone-dex from my pocket and examined it. Following where he was pointing, I noticed a button on the side. Pressing it, a small tray popped out. There were six dips in the tray, perfectly shaped to the smaller size pokeballs could take on. "No way... I can transfer between the computer or whatever using this?" I blinked in shock, again, staring at the tray. Dream or not, that was something. Something that hadn't happened in any previous dreams, too.

Saioga put his claws to his hips and gave a confirming nod. "No need to worry about anything at all. We'll all be right with you, all the time. And we know you'll have all of us around, and not just a couple of us." Words just weren't capable of expressing how happy I was at that. I could have all of my favorites with me, and not just six. Six at a time maybe, but they'd all be right there and ready to switch out, to take turns.

For something that started out like one of the many creepypasta stories I've read, this was something else. Something better. Scarey was sometimes fun, yeah, but to live in the world of Pokemon and not be running for my very life? Oh yes, this was the best thing I could have even dreamed of. The only thing that could have possibly been better was having a romance included, but I could live without that. Even dreams could only be pushed just so far. "Saioga, thank you." I didn't even know how brightly I was smiling when I spoke. My cheeks hurt a bit, so I at least knew it was at least brighter than usual. Laughing a little, I took off from the tiny town and into the wild, my very real Charmander following close behind.

This is the story of my life with Pokemon.

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Starting next chapter, the story will be in third person.

Please review to let me know your thoughts, and I hope you enjoyed enough to continue reading.


	4. Chapter 4

Well, this took a bit longer than I'd hoped to get out.

As a reminder, the story is now in third person.

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Chapter 4: Thoughts

A wild Pokemon was easy to find. Sunset had spotted a Sentret after only a few minutes of looking, and smirked. The closer she got to it, the more odd it looked, however. Instead of smooth like in the games and show, it was furry. Then again, it made sense. It _was_ a furry Pokemon, so being furry in reality was only right. ...Wasn't it? The more she tried to connect Pokemon with reality in her mind, the more she doubted the world she was in. Maybe her mind really did have realistic-enough logic to create a dream that seemed real.

Shaking her head to clear it, Sunset stared at the Sentret. A furry animal was furry, so a furry Pokemon was furry. Perfect sense. "Hey Saioga, ready for our first go around?" The answering grin was more than enough for her to grin as well. "Let's start with an Ember attack!" Saioga ran forward until he was within range, then opened his jaws and shot out small bursts of red and orange fire in a stream. He was a short ways in front of her, but she still managed to catch sight of white from his mouth. She expected fangs thanks to the show and whatnot, but not an entire row of fangs. A bit too realistic, maybe. If it was indeed a dream, and she woke up, there was a chance she wouldn't be able to look at the cute little Charmander anymore without seeing rows of sharp teeth. Oh, the price of realism. Sometimes it was better left as fantasy.

The fire attack caught the Sentret by surprise, catching it in its side and causing it to fall to the ground. Quickly getting to its feet, it shook off and glared at the Charmander, its fur standing on end. Sunset's eyes widened a bit as she stared at the Sentret. Oh yes, realism was sometimes just a bit too much. The Sentret's fur was scorched where the Ember attack had landed, the once brown fur now black. Her hesitation caused Saioga to glance back at her to see what was wrong, which ended up costing him a wound of his own. The Sentret shot forward the second his head had turned and scratched him across his chest, causing him to stumble back a few steps.

"Saioga!" Sunset could see small, thin trails of blood when his body turned in the stumble, and she was getting worried. If this wasn't a dream, she needed to snap out of it and get her act together. Saioga was obviously connected to her, so being distracted would only distract him. Shaking her head, she clenched her fist and tried to focus her mind on the Sentret and nothing else. "Saioga, you alright? Try another Ember, follow up with Scratch."

Hearing the worry nearly seeping through her voice was worrisome, but a confident grin replaced the worried frown when he heard the commands. "Now you're thinking." Not just one attack, but two. Saioga couldn't help but widen his grin. The girl was actually thinking, and not just like she was somehow in the game. Real battles seemed to disturb her a fair amount, but that would pass in time. Eying the brown Pokemon that was his current opponent, he took a quick breath and shot out another stream of embers. While the Sentret was trying to dodge the Ember attack, he ran up and scratched it across its left arm. Very small burns spotted its chest now, and three thin lines of blood trailed across her upper arm near the shoulder.

Screeching in complaint and pain, the Sentrent jumped forward with her small claws reaching for Saioga's face. Ducking down seemed the obvious move, but it would partially corner the fire Pokemon. That left only one option. "Jump!" Luckily enough, Sunset had called out fast enough for him to be able to do as she said. He leaped into the air, just barely avoiding contact with the opponent. "Now Ember!" While still in the air, he grinned toothily before shooting out yet more flame at the brown opponent. The embers hit the Pokemon's back, forcing it into the ground and causing dust to come up around her. Sunset expected the typical explosion-style of rising dust from the show, but the only dust was what came up around the fallen Pokemon from the force of its body hitting the ground. A light misting of sand, really. Enough to distract or distort vision a bit, but not much of a problem at all.

After several silent seconds of watching the Sentret, Sunset sighed and sat right where she was. "That... was different from how I imagined..." She couldn't help but look between the burned Sentret and the bloody scratches across Saioga's chest. She knew how gruesome fighting could get, but growing up with Pokemon tricked her mind into thinking it was possible to fight and only get simple bruises, maybe a small scratch or two. The blood sure as hell snapped her out of that delusion.

"Are you alright Sunset? You look a little pale." Saioga stepped over to her and pat her shoulder, offering a comforting smile. "I know it's not what you were expecting, but this is normal." Not getting a response, he lowered his head with a small frown. "Do you want to stop? You don't have have to be a trainer if you don't want to be."

"No, no, it's okay. I just... didn't really think." Sunset smiled awkwardly, lifting a hand to scratch the back of her head. "I guess it's what I get for thinking like a little kid. Don't worry though, I'll get used to it." Saioga nodded, patting her shoulder once more. Funny how growing up continuously thinking like a kid would keep such thoughts alive even after turning seventeen. It was actually a little embarrassing, the more she thought about it. How on earth could a teenager, almost adult, still think like a five year old? The thought brought a sigh to pass her lips before she laughed lightly at herself. If nothing else, this dream, or possibly reality, would snap her out of her more childish imagination. Seemed like a good thing, so she couldn't complain - much. "Alright, I don't have any Potions. Or bandages. Or whatever is used here for injuries. Are you alright to keep going, or do you need a rest?"

The fire lizard simply grinned and shook his head in response. "Believe it or not, this really is usual. Games don't show it, but all of our battles are like this. It's impossible to not get hurt when you're fighting, after all." He lifted his right arm and formed a fist with his claws. "I'm more than ready to keep going. This little scratch wont slow me down any."

~.~.~

Hours went by with Sunset and Saioga battling any and every wild Pokemon they could find. Saioga already knew she would wind up wanting to train a lot, and was more than happy to oblige. He wanted to evolve as quickly as he could, and there was no better way than to battle with Sunset by his side. Even while wanting to keep going, however, he was getting tired. So was she, really. It was obvious she wasn't used to running around much, and she was probably feeling a bit of mental exhaustion as well. "Maybe we should take a break for a little." It was already after noon, likely around five or so, when she said that. He simply nodded and sat right where he was.

Not five minutes after they had stopped to rest, a Pokemon appeared, seemingly out of thin air, and headed straight for Sunset. Startled, she jumped to her feet and backed away. Now focusing, she managed to see what the Pokemon was. Of all possibilities, it was a Mew. As with all of the other Pokemon, it didn't look anything like she was used to seeing. Pink was still the color of its fur, but that was just the thing - it had fur. The fur was so short that the Pokemon almost looked like a hairless animal, but the light from the sun was enough to show that it did indeed have hair. Other than the long and thin tail and the short arms, it looked almost like a flying cat. It was carrying something, too. A necklace, by the look of it. The chain was thin, but looked incredibly durable, and had a pendant that shined several different colors. Sunset had read up on gems and whatnot for research for a roleplay, so she recognized the rainbow-pendant as an ammolite. The Mew flew toward her again, and she hurriedly backed away again.

Sunset was beginning to get worried, the Mew continuously coming at her and her Charmander not even raising so much as a paw. The pink Pokemon backed away this time, letting out a more sad-sounding cry than the previous rather happy one. "What?" Sunset _was _worried about what might happen to her, but that cry and the Pokemon backing away made her feel a little guilt for some reason. The Pokemon swayed back and forth in the air, but not much. About as much as if he were a wind chime and a soft breeze came by. Then it hit her. It was her first day in this world, so she wasn't sure what to expect. But the Mew... "Wait... Are you...?"

Mew sensed what the girl was thinking and nodded enthusiastically. He knew she wouldn't understand him, so he just used a nod, no words. "No way... _My _Mew? I mean, are you really?" This time he did a loop in the air, beaming happily that she understood who he was now. Slowly, he tried to go closer to her again. She took one step back, hesitant, but then stood still and seemed to scold herself mentally. "Sorry. Not... used to this." Mew simply nodded sympathetically before going closer, still moving slow so he didn't spook her any more. Once close enough, he put the pendant around her neck, doing a loop in the air to clasp the back so it stayed on her.

The pendant looked just a little odd dangling from her neck, the rainbow clashing with her otherwise black outfit. She found it strange and tucked it under her shirt, but didn't take it off. "Now you can hear me. And everyone else." Mew smiled brightly again, doing a few happy loops in the air. Sunset's eyes grew wide and she opened her mouth to say something, be he already knew what she was going to ask and spoke first. "Mewtwo made it for you. He was the first one to doubt what Charizard was saying, and scanned his memories. Because of that, he was also the first to know the truth. He refused to come himself, saying it wasn't something someone like him should be doing, so I came to deliver it to you. That pendant will let you hear Pokemon. Not just me, but everyone. Isn't it great?"

The information had Sunset blinking in shock. A pendant that allowed her to understand Pokemon? It figured Mewtwo would be the one to invent such a thing, but still. The idea itself was incredible, so it being real was simply amazing. The thought of being able to hear everyone got her smiling just like the Mew, thrilled. "It is, yeah! Would you thank him for me? I don't think I'll be seeing him too soon, but I'll thank him myself when I do." The flying pink Pokemon nodded, and she stepped forward to give him a hug. She half expected him to pull away, much like she was doing at first with the pendant, but he hugged her back with those short arms for that few seconds they hugged. "Thank you, Mew." Just because she felt the need to say it, she continued. "But don't expect me to catch you just because you're my Pokemon. In a game, sure, but in life? Freedom suits you so much better."

Laughter was the answer Mew gave. A light-hearted laughter that sounded as though it could lift the spirit of anyone, no matter how down they were. "Don't expect it to last forever though. Mewtwo's good, but not _that _good. The amulet will probably only last for a month, maybe even less. Take care of it." He nodded once, then flew off as free as could be. Hopefully going to Mewtwo to give him her thanks.

The pink Pokemon's words had Sunset staring down at the pendant barely hidden by her shirt. Even a week would have been great, so a possible month of being able to hear Pokemon was fantastic. Saioga was the one to snap her attention back to the world and away from the necklace. "We're all here. Only, most of us couldn't get _here _like I did, so it'll take a while to find the others. I'm sure one or two of them might be close by, though."

Saioga's words lifted Sunset's spirit even more. So all of her Pokemon were there. Waiting for her, or trying to find her. She assumed they were all like Saioga, in the state most original to them. Ninetales was probably a Vulpix, Pidgeotto was probably a Pidgey, and so on. But that was alright. Their form didn't matter, what mattered was that they were there. Fingering the chain of the pendant around her neck, her smile grew even brighter. "Let's get to town. I need to buy some-" A realization hit her, and she blinked a couple times. "Wait, I don't have any money... I can't get any Pokeballs for when we run into the others..."

Getting up, Saioga stepped over to Sunset and put a paw on her leg. "Don't worry, everything will work out. I'm sure Meowth will come around some time, and you worked hard on teaching him Pay Day. Remember?"

It wasn't something she could easily forget. Training him took a long time thanks to constantly putting the game down instead of staying at it the entire time. "Yeah, I remember." Her buddy had a point. Meowth could create money, and that would be used to buy the Pokeballs she needed. It was all a game of patience, that being the case. And she was the master of that game. Smirking slightly, she gave a nod. "Alright, we'll just have to wait for Meowth. Until then, how 'bout we get to town anyway? The Pokemon Center has beds, last time I checked, and we'll need a place to stay the night. Not to mention the free food, if that still happens here."

"Alright, let's get going. And hey, maybe we'll get lucky and I'll evolve before we get there." Saioga snickered lightly at the comment. He didn't feel like he was going to evolve, but he could hope anyway. No harm ever came from that.

The partners both grinned at the idea of evolution before too much time passed them by, then they shared a nod and started off toward Cherrygrove City. It only took a few steps for the chain of the necklace to be annoying, which reminded Sunset that moving her hair would probably be a good idea. Once she moved her brunette hair so the necklace was against her bare neck, the chain wasn't so annoying anymore. A passing thought on the length of her hair passed through her mind. It wasn't like Pokemon Centers were all over the place, so it might be more convenient to cut a few inches off so it was shoulder length. The shorter the better when it came to taking care of it out in the wild. Then again, she wasn't exactly too good with scissors and was too lazy as well as too broke to find a hairdresser. Oh well, she'd just put up with getting used to combing leaves and such out of it after sleeping on the ground when there wasn't a lodge or Pokemon Center around.

Training was the first real thing on Sunset's mind, but just after it was battles. Gym battles. Without even realizing it just yet, she was psyched to start visiting gyms in person and actually going head to head with gym leaders. Any trainer battle, for that matter. Saioga would be by her side from that day on, unless she was forced back into reality. Only time would tell if being in the world of Pokemon was permanent or not, but she was hoping with everything she had that she would be able to stay, dream or not.

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And so the adventure begins!

Please rate, review, yadda yadda. Any and all comments are appreciated.

As an afterthought, was switching to third person alright? Please let me know if it would be better sticking to first person or not.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: A New Past

The trip to Cherrygrove was longer than expected. Sunset had expected to reach the city in an hour or less, thanks to moving toward it the entire time while training. Sure, she moved slower while finding and battling wild Pokemon with her Charmander, but it was very late when they finally entered the city. She had no idea what time it was, but it was dark. A crescent moon hung clearly in the sky, a small fluff of a cloud crossing in front of it only once in a while.

Once in the city, Sunset allowed herself to stop focusing on the road ahead and look up. The sight was an unexpected one. In this dream, or possible second reality, the moon was closer. Instead of the size of a dime held up, it looked more like it would fill a quarter. If she had a quarter, she'd test that. As it was, all she could do was imagine holding a quarter up and hope she got the size right. It wasn't just the moon that offered a pleasant surprise, either. The stars twinkled magnificently in the sky, tiny but bright and clear lights hung motionless in the blanket of darkness. She had never seen them so clearly before, not even while she was away from most civilization and up on a mountain. She was breathless, to say the least, as she found herself wishing all the more that this wasn't just a dream. Sleeping under the stars was an annoying idea previously, but if they were so clear... The ground didn't seem such a bad idea if it meant being able to fall asleep while watching those tiny orbs of light.

"Careful." Saioga's voice pulled her attention back down to earth. She looked down to see what he was talking about, but ended up stopping short to avoid walking into a sign. A small snicker from the fire lizard caused her eyes to narrow in annoyance. Or, at least, what she wanted to be annoyance. Instead, she was grinning faintly with a slightly embarrassed look in her eyes.

Feeling the grin pulling at her lips and knowing her fake annoyance wasn't showing at all, Sunset sighed and lifted her right arm to scratch the back of her head. "Thanks. I didn't mean to get so distracted." She glanced a red and white building then, and spoke again before giving Saioga the chance to say anything more. "Hey, that's the Pokemon Center. Nice timing, now we can get some food and rest, or sleep 'til morning and just have breakfast." Her stomach grumbled at the thought of food and she swore if she were in an anime she would have had that sweatdrop on her head. Good thing she wasn't and no such thing appeared. "Or we have dinner, sleep, then have breakfast as well." Saioga laughed at her as she gave a curt nod to her own comment.

Once more letting her childlike imagination get in the way, Sunset wasn't expecting the sight she received upon entering the center. The counter was still there, and a few video phones of all things off to the side of the large lobby, but it looked more like a hospital than she liked. There was no protection glass around the counter, like most receptionist desks she'd seen in hospitals, so that was good at least. She knew there were more than enough hospitals without a glass wall there, but she chose to ignore that in the hopes of not thinking she was in a hospital. Long story short, she didn't much care for the places. The smell was a major factor, really. Remembering the smell of hospitals, Sunset blinked a couple times in thought. If there was no smell, the center would be perfectly fine.

Making an attempt to just appear tired, she took in a deep breath while smelling the air. No smell lingered, which brought a victorious smile to her lips. She'd be able to stay in the building without thinking of doctors and their assistants with needles. Very nice. Still smiling faintly, she made her way over to the counter, Saioga following while watching her in interest. Before she could speak up, she caught sight of a clipboard sitting at the corner of the desk. Looking over to see what it was for, she took note that there were two clipboards there, not just one. It only looked like one from the corner of her eye because one was on top of the other, concealing it for the most part. The one on top was a sign in sheet. Probably for people who had Pokemon in emergency care. Moving it to the side, she saw the second one was for signing out a bed. Oh yes, that was more like it. It did say "bed" instead of "room", however, which gave her the impression that she wouldn't be alone in the room.

Shrugging off the thought, she picked up the pen that was sitting just above the clipboard and looked at the sheet of paper more carefully. The very top had a list of numbered rooms with lettered beds. Upon looking closer, she realized that the list wasn't even on the sign in sheet, but a separate paper altogether. "Hm." Scanning over the names and numbers written down on the sheet, she noticed just how many people were staying there. The first four rooms, which had four beds a piece, were full. All trainers, no doubt. In total, it looked like there were twenty or so people spending the night in the rooms. At least the room with her favorite number had an available bed still.

Just before the pen touched the paper, Sunset had to stop herself and think. She was about to write "Sunset" into the box, but that was just her nickname. It probably wouldn't due to use a nickname on a sign in sheet of any kind, so she corrected herself and wrote "Setsuna Xion" in the name box. It felt weird, signing an "x" on something. As she stared at her new name, however, she couldn't help but laugh lightly, quietly. Oh, what a name. If she hadn't made it herself, she would have put a "z" instead of an "x" due to the pronunciation. Shaking her head with a small smirk, she put down "5c" in the box asking which bed she wanted to use. The sheet said to cross out your name when you left, so she had to make a mental note to not forget about it when she woke up.

"Alright Saioga, let's find this room. After that, we'll find where the food is." At the mention and thought of food, her stomach grumbled once again, bringing yet another slightly embarrassed smile to her features. Saioga laughed at her, again, and all she did was sigh with a silent laugh and head off to the right. The hall to the right seemed the better guess for where the rooms were, and the hall to the left was likely where the kitchen and patient rooms were.

Well, she guessed wrong. Sunset stared blankly at the rooms of the hall as she passed them by. They weren't the visitor sleeping quarters, but the rooms for Pokemon who needed further care. After several minutes of wondering around aimlessly, she backtracked and went down the other hall. It took but a minute to find a door with a large number "5" on it. "Figures I'd go the wrong way first. I can always find my way back somewhere, but going the wrong way getting to somewhere seems to just be in my nature..."  
Saioga laughed at her yet again. "Don't worry about it. You wont get lost on the road, that counts for something." She nodded, but didn't seem to believe it too much. "Hey, no worries, I'll keep you going the right way." This time Sunset was the one to laugh, patting his head a couple times as well. "Alright, let's find us that food now." Sunset may have been the one with the noisy stomach, but he was plenty hungry himself.

~.~.~

Morning sunlight poured in through the window. As it happened, the "c" bed was in the corner of the room where sunlight hit first. Of course, the "a" bed was in the same situation, as it was on the opposite side of the room. The "b" and "d" beds would be in comfortable shade for another couple hours thanks to being right against the wall with the window.

Groaning slightly, Sunset rolled over to her side in a failed attempt to keep the sun from her face. The bed was more firm than she would have liked, but it was good enough for a restful sleep. Blinking her eyes open after several minutes of failing to go back to sleep, Sunset glanced around the room. Seeing she was still in the Pokemon Center, which meant she was either still dreaming or managed to stay in this other reality, she grinned. The grin faded almost immediately when she saw that Saioga was no where to be seen, however. He had curled up in the very corner, his back facing the corner of the room as well as the corner of the bed, next to her head when they had gone to sleep.

"Wait, don't panic. Maybe he just wanted to go into his Pokeball..." The words were mumbled to herself as she forced herself out from the white-sheeted bed and grabbed the Pokeball she had stuffed into her pocket. It grew and opened when she clicked the button twice, but nothing came out. "Oh no..." Her mind immediately jumped to the worst case scenario, which was that this dream was turning into a nightmare. She would be back in the world of creepypastas where everyone was dead and lying in puddles of blood. Words interrupted her thoughts, kindly enough. She didn't hear what was said though, so she glanced around the room again. One of the beds was empty, two people still sound asleep, and a Rattata was the only one other than her that was awake. "Was that you?"

The purple rat Pokemon stared back at Sunset. "No, it was the door." The rat dipped its head in a sigh. "That poor Pokemon. He probably has hell with an idiot trainer like you. Forget food, I'd head for freedom if I were him."

Well that wasn't too nice. If all it took to be called an idiot was being worried, Sunset only knew idiots. There were probably no smart people in the world at all, what with everyone being able to worry over things. Thinking on natures, the Rattata was probably sassy or something. Or maybe rash. At least the Pokemon had told her where Saioga had gone. She was pretty sure food meant the cafe. Or at least what she was going to call the cafe. For all she knew, everyone called it the mess hall or dinning room. "Alright, thanks. I'll go look for him in the cafe."

Rattata blinked quickly a few times, staring dumbfounded at Sunset as she left the room. "There's no possible way that human understood me..."

Sunset tapped the pendant that was barely hidden under her tank top with a smile. Hearing Pokemon wasn't only nice, it turned out to be pretty handy as well. Rattata had been right, too. She managed to spot Saioga not two seconds after entering the food place. Without a word, she grinned and grabbed some breakfast for herself before sitting next to Saioga to eat. Just simple cereal and an apple, nothing special.

The two headed into the lobby after eating and Sunset went to grab the pen to cross her name off the clipboard when her name was called. "Hm?" Curious, she turned to face whoever it was that called out her name. The male voice had said her name instead of her nickname, so he must have been staff or someone who had looked over the sign in sheet. The guy she spotted had short messy blond hair with blue eyes and was dressed in black slacks and a white button-up shirt with a striped red and blue tie. Mid-twenties, probably. Maybe a bit younger. He was holding a decent size box, which perked her curiosity all the more. "That's me. Do you need something?"

The man stepped over to her with a small, polite smile. "I have a package for you. It's from your mom." He offered the box to her, and she took it with a short, slow nod.

He didn't look like a delivery man, so she wasn't too sure why he was giving her a package of any kind. "Thank you." Returning a polite smile and giving a small nod again, she set the package down on the counter. The man was watching her, which was pretty uncomfortable, so she decided to open the box right there instead of waiting. If nothing else, it would cause a delay and she'd have help for whatever trouble came up. Inside the box was a backpack. Medium size, not small and not big. It was deep blue, a bit faded, with black shoulder straps and zippers, as well as three pockets from the looks of it. The main compartment, of course, a smaller pocket one on the front, and a pretty small pouch on both sides.

Narrowing her eyes slightly, curious as well as a tad suspicious, Sunset lifted the bag out of the box and set it down on the counter. It wasn't empty, that was for sure. It was heavy enough to have plenty of stuff in it. But, judging from the bulk, it was probably stuffed with paper or clothes. Spotting a note at the bottom of the box, she picked up the paper and read what was written.

"Sunset, you left far too quickly! I wish you would have at least showed me your Pokemon before you left home. And for that matter you should have come back just to grab your backpack. You packed it days ago, so I didn't think you would forget it so easily. John was around though, which was lucky for you, and said he'd deliver it to you for me. Hopefully you didn't get too far. Even with his bike, he can only travel just so far from home.  
Anyway, take care. Be sure to keep your head held high and don't give up no matter how hard it gets! Always remember you can come home though.  
Love always, Mom xoxo  
PS: I went ahead and put a couple Pokeballs I bought into your bag. Knowing you, you forgot to get any for yourself."

Sunset simply stared at the note for a while. Her mom in this dream or different reality was a lot better than her mom back home, that much was certain. Knowing her real mother, a forgotten backpack would just sit in her room for a couple weeks or so before possibly being searched. Yet here she was, an apparently forgotten backpack in a box delivered by some guy called John. A family friend, probably. Or maybe just the moms friend. Or hey, maybe he was just the neighbor. It was no wonder he was watching her in that case. "Thanks a lot, John." She tried to give a friendly smile instead of just a polite one. Just when she was wondering what to do about being stuck in only one outfit, her mother of this world delivers a backpack that seemingly has plenty enough for traveling. And even gave her some Pokeballs, too.

"Glad to help. Sadigh has helped me a lot, so it's the least I could do." John nodded once, then headed for the door.

Sadigh. So that was her mothers name here. It was interesting, to say the least. And John seemed to be either her mothers friend or an acquiantence. Stuffing the note into the backpacks left side pocket, Sunset picked up the box and set it to the side next to the trash bin. Returning to the counter, she once again picked up the pen, this time crossing her name out without any disturbance. Setting the pen down again, she shrugged on the backpack and looked down to her partner. "Alright, well. Let's hit the road."

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And so the journey continues. Chapter titles don't seem to like me too much, so some of them may be pretty boring or possibly misleading. I can't just leave chapters without titles though, so use them I shall.

Hope you enjoyed. Please rate, comment, whatever, and possibly keep reading~ :D


	6. Chapter 6

Hello everyone, I have returned!

Distractions are very distracting, did you know? First I couldn't find any way to focus on writing up more of the story, then I forgot about it, then I ended up with writers block. Gotta love that kind of happening, right? Well, I still have writers block, but I hoped to break it at least a little by typing this up. So if this chapter lacks a bit in compare to the previous chapters, well... Oops. I tried. Hopefully it isn't too bad, so I hope you enjoy the read.

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Chapter 6: Confusion

Stepping through the glass sliding doors of the Pokecenter out into the slight breeze of the outdoors, Sunset was slightly disappointed at waking up too late for crisp morning air. It felt more like the afternoon, even though the sun wasn't yet high in the sky. Stopping only a few feet in front of the building, she took a careful look around. It was too dark to see anything when she got there the night before, but the daylight clearly showed what she had missed. "So much for being small..."

Saioga set one clawed arm on his hip as he snickered, shaking his reptillian head. "You didn't really think towns would be small like the game showed, did you?" The answer to his question was obvious by the embarrassed expression Sunset made while scratching her cheek somewhat timidly. The only thing he could do was laugh at seeing that.

Covering her face with a hand, Sunset sighed lightly. "Hey, don't blame me, blame the game. It made everything small, and playing too much made me think of everything as small." While that was true, Sunset had to stop and think for a moment. Would her dream make everything a more normal size, or would it keep most things small? The walk to Cherrygrove certainly wasn't a five minute trip. Things really were making it harder and harder to think of the whole thing as a dream, but still, Pokemon being real...

Pausing, a thought finally occurred to Sunset. The Ratatta in room 5 was a rat, yes, but it didn't look smooth like the show or games. In fact, its hair was a little longer than being considered short and was a little slick-looking. Its whiskers weren't perfectly straight, and those teeth did not look friendly. If this really wasn't a dream... "It's gonna be a lot harder than I thought to get used to everything..." The friendly creatures by the name of Pokemon did not have their perfectly friendly appearance at all. She should have realized and accepted that when she first took notice of her Charmander's teeth, but that apparently didn't happen. Her mind denied it, to a point. And, thinking about it, she felt that she should have been worried about the little rat Pokemon biting her with those large fangs.

Seeing a fair amount of discomfort take hold of his trainer, and sensing it a bit, Saioga pat her leg to try to help comfort her. "Hey, don't worry, it always takes a bit to get used to new things. It'll take time, but you'll be fine, just you watch." She glanced down at him then and he gave a nod.

"Alright, alright..." Sunset sighed before taking a deep breath. "You're right, what am I doing worrying about every little thing? The only thing I should be worrying about is how to get those badges and enter the league!" She tried to give a confident grin, but it turned out looking more like an unsure smile. "Oh, and how to figure out your level. That could be handy for knowing how close you are to evolving." Nodding slightly, mostly to herself, she once more started walking.

Following along beside the girl, Saioga glanced up at her with a wry grin. "Now that, you see, might be a small problem." She looked down to him with a slightly tilted head, but he continued before she could ask anything. "See, we still have levels, just not like you're used to. The levels we actually have are more like levels of power. Humans are always trying to simplify that and just call it our overall level, but that's just not how it is." Lifting one arm with a single claw extended upward, he continued. "For example, all of that battling we did on the way here would have gotten me evolved already if this were just a game."

It was easy to see the disappointment Saioga felt at not evolving as easily, so Sunset simply nodded. It made sense, if she thought about it. Games had levels to make things more interesting, but reality didn't have anything so convenient. A master crafter could still make mistakes with their projects, whereas if life were a game everything would be made perfectly ts the master level. But, that being the case, just how would evolving work?

Knowing she wasn't the only one concerned, Sunset gathered up what confidence she had and smirked. "It'll be harder for a level-holic like myself to have no levels to work with, but hey, that's fine. You'll evolve when you get stronger, so let's forget about fighting everything we possibly can and think about our strengths and strategy instead."

Now it was Saioga's turn to stare at her, blinking a few times in slight shock. After a moment of silence, he cracked up laughing. His laughter brought a look of confusion to her face, which only made him laugh all the more. "A word of wisdom while you're still confused about almost everything! I'm sorry, but that's just funny."

"I'm not _that_ bad." Sunset crossed her arms with a small pout, then glanced down at Saioga again from the corner of her eye. "Am I?" His nod while still laughing at her made her sigh, but also shake her head and smile slightly. "Alright, so I'm completely lost on all this still. I admit it. But hey, logic is a strong point of mine, so get used to my weird commenting."

The orange lizard Pokemon could only nod while still laughing just a little. If anything, it was a relief that Sunset hadn't completely lost her mind. The Unown had warned him that the trip across dimensions could drive her into slight insanity, after all. _That's one less worry. I still have to keep an eye out for any of the other problems they warned me about, though. I hope none of them happen..._ Saioga was pulled from his thoughts when he saw just how close Sunset was getting to the water. She didn't seem to be paying attention to where she was walking. Again. "Going swimming?" He couldn't help but have a bit of humor, what with relief being fresh on his mind.

"Huh?" Sunset blinked, stopping in place, and glanced around. Seeing her foot an inch from the waters edge, she laughed nervously and scratched the back of her head. "Wow, okay, uh... Guess I need to retrain my focus." It was easy to make it sound like not a problem, she was used to doing that, but in fact she was just a bit worried. First with the sign the night before, and now with a pond. She never had a problem with her focus or attention before, but just once could be considered a fluke. Twice? Not so much. Was she blanking out, slowly becoming a ditz, or what?

Shaking her head to clear it, Sunset turned her body to face the way she knew the road was - northward. "Guess I'm spacing out a bit too much. No worries, I'll get used to seeing new things in no time at all and I wont space out anymore." Trying to look confident, she smiled and gave a small nod.

Several minutes of silence passed before Sunset spoke up again. "So," she began, "Falkner is still the first gym leader we have to face, right?"

"Not really." Saioga shrugged his shoulders lightly. "Unlike the game, we can go where ever we want. If you wanted, we could even go and challenge Pryce before anyone else."

"You're kidding."

Saioga snickered lightly at Sunset's pure disbelief. "Nope, not at all. Remember, this is life now. The only real rule is that you need eight badges to enter the league. Sure some of the gym leaders are stronger than others, but there's no real order."

Now that was something to think about. Sunset couldn't help but weigh the advantages of skipping over Violet City and heading for Azalea Town first. Bugsy would be easier just because of a type advantage. She had to stop herself from thinking like that, though. "No, no, stop thinking about easier or harder... Strategy makes all the difference, now..." The words were mumbled to herself, but a small chuckle from her little buddy let her know that he heard her.

Grinning slightly, Saioga crossed his arms over his chest. "So what's the plan?"

"We'll follow the road." Sunset nodded, attempting to look stubborn but failing and instead showing a bit of her inner conflict.

"Oh wow, I haven't seen that Pokemon around here before. Are you a trainer?"

Sunset looked to where she heard the voice and saw a boy that looked just a bit younger than herself heading over to her. He was in simple blue jeans and a white T-shirt, not helping the average look he had thanks to his short brown hair and brown eyes. "Yeah, I'm a trainer." She nodded to him in response, offering a small smile as a hopefully polite greeting.

"Nice. How about a battle then? I'd love to see him in action!" The boy smiled brightly, hiding none of his excitement.

Glancing down to Saioga and seeing him nod slightly with a small grin, Sunset nodded to the boy once again. "Sure, why not. A small battle wouldn't hurt."

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So that's the chapter. Please review so I know what I'm doing right or wrong so I can try to improve.

Also, on another note, I'd love any ideas for a new title. "A New Life" just sounds so... Well, boring. I know it, and I admit it. I was thinking something like "Dimensional Pull", or something, but that just doesn't sound right. I look forward to any and all ideas suggested! :D

Until next time, my readers~


	7. Chapter 7

Inspiration struck! Hooray! Here's the next chapter to the story :D

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Chapter 7: Trainer Battle

"Great!" The younger boy beamed with excitement and fished a pokeball from his left pocket.

Come to think of it, best moment or not, just when did anyone have the chance to become a trainer? Sunset was seventeen, legal age for some jobs and even the military so long as the parents or guardians signed for her. It wouldn't be too surprising if the ages were the same here that they were back in her own world, or reality, or dimension, or whatever it was. After all, she got Saioga as her first Pokemon from the lab instead of ending up in the middle of the wild with him. Or did the world follow the usual Pokemon rules and most people started off at ten, with the eception of late bloomers?

Sunset's thoughts were interrupted by a red flash shooting out from the boys pokeball. Far too used to the game, she was expecting the kid to have a Pidgey, or Sentret, or something. What she wasn't expecting was for the boy to have a Houndour. The canine Pokemon that reminded her of a rotwieler with bone decorations on its back and head held its head high with what appeared to be an overly confident grin.

Still smiling away, the boy pointed at the Charmander and spoke to his black Pokemon. "Let's get him, Howler!" In answer to the boy, the Houndour gave voice a short bark that slid into a howl as he pawed the ground once with his front right leg. Instead of just the howling and bark, however, Sunset heard the words he spoke. The Pokemon was incredibly full of confidence. What he said was, "this'll be a piece of cake, I'll have him running with the first attack!"

It was hard to tell if she should be worried about the opponent or if she should call his words a bluff. "We'll see about that, puppy." Saioga had already stepped forward to show that he was ready to fight, and he spoke to the Houndour with his arms crossed almost defiantly with a smirk.

Taking a breath, Sunset looked to the opposing party. "Ready when you are." The kid nodded and commanded a Smog attack. That was an odd move to open with, but she could work with it. "Keep away and wait for it to clear, Saioga."

The next move the younger boy ordered made Sunset realize her mistake. A little too late, too. The Houndour shot an Ember straight into the cloud of poisonous gas just before Saioga jumped back from it, causing the cloud to explode. The orange lizard could only wait to hit the ground after he was blown backward. Talk about strategy, she didn't think about that kind of move at all. Sure it wasn't a typical move, but she thought she had better thinking than that.

"Alright, I'll just have to think of realistic combos from now on..." The words were mumbled almost inaudibly before she turned to look at her Pokemon. "Saioga, are you alright?"

Just getting back to his feet, Saioga shook his head to clear it from the impact and gave a claws-up. "I'm fine. Let's show them what we've got."

Nodding, Sunset narrowed her eyes at the canine. Normal fire attacks wouldn't do much, if typing was considered, and Scratch would mean getting in close. Her mind automatically questioned the hounds level to know if he knew the Bite attack or not, which caused her to mentally slap herself. Level didn't exist anymore, she needed to stop relying on it. Of course the fire hound would know that move, he had teeth that he was perfectly capable of using! Oh, why did Nintendo have to make Bite a learned move instead of a default one... It made no sense at all, the more she tried to think realistically.

Distractions, distractions! They needed to go away! Shaking her head to once more clear it, Sunset again eyed the black canine. Getting in close might prove difficult, but it might be her only shot. Their only shot. "Saioga, give it a Smokescreen!"

He glanced back a moment to check if his trainer knew what she was talking about, and understood right away. Giving a small nod, Saioga opened his jaws and let smoke shoot out onto their battlefield. Just when he was ready to jump back to avoid an explosion that was sure to come, he saw Sunset motioning for him to jump into it. "I hope you know what you're doing..." Taking a second to sigh softly, the orange lizard leapt into the smoke.

Being on the other side of the smoke, the kid wasn't able to see Sunset motion for her Pokemon to enter the smoke. "You really think that's a problem? Ha! Howler, Ember it!" The boy looked incredibly confident now, still wearing that bright smile across his features.

Grinning triumphantly, as if the attack would ensure victory, the Houndour let loose an Ember toward the Smokescreen. "Saioga, slide and Scratch!"

Saioga nearly laughed before listening to the command. -Now- he understood what she was doing. Smirking, he charged forward. The Ember attack ignited the Smokescreen the very second he got out of it, the force of the explosion propelling him forward. He didn't jump, that would have made it impossible to slide. Instead, he ducked down and let his feet trail across the ground. Lifting an arm, still smirking, he prepared to use his claws.

"What the?!" Both the kid and the Pokemon said the same two words, shocked at how their opponent was zooming forward instead of being thrown back or into the sky. The shock worked to Sunset and Saioga's advantage, giving Saioga more than enough time to steady himself and land a perfectly good Scratch attack on the canine Pokemon's belly. The attack had the Pokemon thrust upward a bit, thanks to the force being almost that of a punch. He made for the perfect stopper, the black hound. It was only a foot up that he was punch-Scratched, but still, the Houndour was caught severely off balance and landed on his side with a dull thud in the dirt.

Unable to hold back a grin, Sunset snickered just a little bit. "I can't believe that actually worked..." Sure the kid seemed to love his explosions, but she didn't think her plan that was formed in only a few seconds would pull through so nicely. Oh, but it wasn't over... The Houndour was getting back to his feet, snarling.

"Howler, show them your Bite's worse than your bark!" The kid was still smiling, but not near as brightly as the moment before. He seemed just a bit peeved that his explosion strategy was turned against him.

"Saioga, dodge! Keep light on your feet!" She wasn't sure just how well he'd do after being caught in one explosion then hit by the force of a second, but she hoped he was in good enough shape to manage.

The black hound continued to snarl as he darted forward with his fangs gleaming in the sunlight. Sunset wasn't sure, but she thought she heard him growl out "you'll pay for that", or something along those lines. It wasn't hard to understand why he was angry. His strategy was turned against him and he even ended up with a couple red lines trailing across his belly.

Teeth snapped when the canine got close to Saioga, but luckily the lizard was fast enough to get out of the way of the attack. Even more lucky, Saioga knew to attack back without being told. Once he had dodged the white teeth that had aimed for his neck, he leaped forward and swiped with his claws. Not so luckily, he missed as the Houndour quickly jumped back to avoid the counterattack.

Just as quickly as he had jumped back, Howler once more darted forward with his teeth bared. He was too quick for Saioga to avoid him that time, and the teeth dug into soft scales under his right arm.

"Saioga!" Sunset's worry was all too easy for Saioga to hear. She wasn't used to how true battles went yet. The blood streaming from his new wound, which the opponent still hadn't removed his teeth from, didn't help with that. With a grumbled "don't worry", he looked down at the Pokemon and opened his own jaws. He didn't have the idea of trying to bite him, but he did have another idea. Not a second later, flame exited his jaws as an Ember shot out and hit the canine's head.

Whether it was luck or power put into the right spot, Howler released his fangs from Saioga's side and wobbled a moment before simply dropping onto the ground over on his side. "Howler!" The kid finally lost his smile as he ran to his Pokemon. The hound was still breathing, of course, but he was knocked out. "Oh no oh no oh no... Mom's gonna kill me!" He fumbled with his pokeball a moment before returning the passed out Pokemon to it and darting off. Well, that answered that. He couldn't possibly be a registered trainer, not with the reaction he gave.

Letting out a small sigh, Sunset quickly stepped over to her Charmander and knelt down beside the Pokemon who had decided to take a seat. She couldn't help but eye the bite mark on his side. "Hey, you did great Sai. Are you uh... Are you okay? I mean..."

Saioga laughed lightly and pat his side under the wound. "I'm fine. Like I said before, this is common." He gave a small, reassuring nod. "It wouldn't hurt to have a potion though, or take a little rest. That was one heck of battle..." He nodded once more as he smiled up at his trainer, who was just a bit too worried for his liking.

"I don't have a potion, so... Alright, we're not far from he city yet, let's head back to the pokemon center." Sunset gave a small nod of her own, mostly just trying to settle her own nerves, and gently pat her Pokemon's head. "I don't know, should you go back into your ball, or are you alright to walk? Or should I carry you?" She could tell he didn't like her being so worried over something he found trivial, but she couldn't help it. Blood just wasn't a common sight for her. At least, not yet it wasn't.

Shaking his head slightly, Saioga gave a small sigh. "I'm alright to walk. Don't worry." He was certain she'd freak out if he showed any signs of fatigue, so he carefully held in the small groan that wanted to escape him as he stood once more.

Sunset eyed her partner for a moment before frowning slightly. "Alright, if you say so. But I'm not gonna let you walk after all." Without giving him the time to respond, she picked the fire lizard up in her arms, careful of his tail so she didn't get burned by accident, and started back for Cherrygrove. He merely laughed at her for doing such, which allowed a faint smile to spread across her lips as she looked at him.

"Fine, carry me. Just don't expect to carry me anymore when I'm a Charizard." The words were spoken clearly enough for her to understand even through his laughter. The look on her face told him she was trying to imagine how she'd carry a dragon, which only made him laugh harder. After a moment, she joined in his laughter.

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May be a short while before I get the next chapter out.

Still looking for a new story title, too. Any and all thoughts and opinions are much appreciated.

Hope to see you next chapter!


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks to Random Cyndaquil, a guest reviewer, for inspiring the new title! "Reality Check" caught my eye, then I thought of just how twisted reality was thanks to being pulled into a completely different world, and huzzah! A title was formed! A rather fitting one, I think.

Now, enough rambling from me, onto the story! :D

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Chapter 8: Enlightenment

Not being far from the Pokemon center helped greatly. It took only a few mere minutes to reach then enter the healing building. The reaction Sunset got from the nurse behind the counter was enough to tell her that she probably shouldn't carry Saioga into any centers unless he really needed it, though. The pink haired lady had spotted her right away, eyes widening a moment before blinking in confusion while the little Charmander snickered, him not believing for a second that Sunset would honestly try carrying him after he evolved into something nearly three times her size. It was obvious she was curious why the Pokemon was being carried so delicately even though he seemed to be having a good time.

_Mental note, put him down outside before coming in next time._ Smiling a hopeful smile, and just a bit sheepish, Sunset stepped up to the counter and lowered Saioga onto it. Saioga said something about not worrying, but she didn't hear him too clearly. Her attention was on the nurse, and she was scolding herself for hesitating with talking. She never was too good at talking to people, not when she was the one starting or leading the conversation. Asking for help was even worse. Back in her own world, or state of awakeness, she would make sure to avoid asking for help at almost all cost. Even years back when she was still learning in her first years of middle school, she forced herself to try to figure everything out on her own. Yet here she was, in front of a nurse, trying to form words to ask for help when it wasn't even an emergency.

Either it was luck or nurse Joy could see just how uncomfortable and fidgety she was, but the nurse smiled warmly and spoke up first. "It looks like you just had a hard battle. Would you like me to examine your Charmander?"

Embarrassed at herself for not even being able to speak up when she was the one who brought Saioga back to the center, she lowered her head slightly. "Yes, please." Mentally slapping herself, she forced herself to look up and straight at the nurse again, smiling timidly. It was a very good thing nurse Joy was as gentle and patient as she was, Sunset didn't have a clue what she would have done if it was someone else. Probably make a fool of herself, most probably, but that was beside the point.

"Alright, just take a seat and we'll be right back." Nurse Joy smiled kindly and lifted the orange lizard into her arms, barely catching the nod Sunset gave before turning and walking back into an examination room.

Sunset sighed and walked over to a chair to wait. She knew this wouldn't be the only time she ended up needing help, but she was still dreading having to ask. To get used to asking, even. "I don't know if I'll ever get used to this..." Her words were barely audible, even to herself. It didn't even matter if it was all real or just a dream, anymore. It was always the same when asking for help. It just wasn't something she could easily do. Pride, self-esteem, confidence, she had no idea what it was that made it hard to ask for help of any kind. It could be pride, considering she refused to ask for help even with finding an object that was misplaced. Then again, perhaps it was her stubbornness. She wanted nothing more than to be self sufficient when she was younger, so it was possible that carried on as she grew and turned into a bad case of bullheadedness.

The thought of stubbornness being the cause of her problem drove another sigh from her. In an attempt to distract her mind from it, Sunset began mumbling to herself in a low voice, almost a whisper. "Alright, so, dream or not, that battle happened. My dreams have never been that detailed, I don't think, so I'm just gonna try to believe this is all real. Maybe. In a... different dimension. Great, now I sound like some sci-fi nut." Yet another sigh gave voice. "But if this is real, I need to think of it as being real. If it's not, hey, at least I can have fun with it, right? Right. So, real world, real happenings. Right. Good."

Nodding slightly to herself, she still hadn't taken notice of the little Caterpie that was now on the floor right in front of her, staring up at her curiously. "Is something wrong with her head?" The small caterpillar Pokemon tilted its own head slightly to the side, simply staring at the brunette human whispering to herself.

"Wait, come to think of it, I didn't get any money from that battle... Crap, I'm still flat broke..." Sunset set her right elbow on her right knee and rested her chin in her palm, still lost in her own thoughts while mumbling her thoughts aloud. "Or maybe trainer battles don't involve money. The did in the game, but I don't think I ever saw money in the show... Hmm... If that's the case, how in the world am I gonna buy Potions and Pokeballs? Or even a half decent sleeping bag?"

"Hey Sunset, good to go!" Saioga grinned over at his trainer from the counter, claws on his hips.

Sunset looked up and blinked a couple times, slightly shocked out of her thoughts being called like she was. "Oh great, my focus died again..." Yet again her words came out in a mumble of a whisper, but then she finally took note of the bug on the floor in front of her feet. "Oh. Hello there. Uh, if you'd excuse me, heh-heh..." Getting to her feet, she quickly stepped up to the counter and set a hand on Saioga's head, giving a small, awkward smile to Joy. "Thank you for helping him."

"What a weird human..." The Caterpie shook its head slightly and turned, crawling toward the far wall with its potted plants and vending machines. Ignoring the plants and machines, it made its way up a small boys leg and onto his shoulder, the bugs usual spot on his young human friend.

Nurse Joy, with smile on face, gave a small nod. "He wasn't hurt badly at all, so he'll be in perfect shape again soon." Sunset had to ignore Saioga's "I told you so" comment while listening to the nurse. "You might think about using a potion next time. That would do fine for smaller injuries like he had."

Resisting the urge to let yet another sigh out, Sunset nodded thankfully to the nurse. "Thank you, I'll be sure to remember that. Let's get going Saioga." Still grinning, the lizard jumped down from the countertop and landed on the floor without a problem. Once they had left the building once again, Sunset looked down at him with a tilted head. "Hey, Saioga? Couple questions. When do people become trainers here? And do battles include money at all? I didn't get any winnings from that boy, so maybe they don't."

At first Saioga crossed his arms, then he let out a small laugh. "Battles can have money, but only if both trainers make bets. Without any betting, it's just a friendly competition. Well, usually, there are some trainers that only want to show off or something." He bobbed his head in a confirming nod before continuing. "As for when trainers become trainers, well, it's not like you're probably thinking it is. See, most people start off as trainers when they're eighteen in human years. The ones that try real hard and know enough about being a trainer can start when they're sixteen in human years if their parents let them."

"Wait... So it's like a job?" Sunset couldn't help but stare, almost blankly, at the thought. Seeing her Pokemon point at her pocket, she dug out the odd phone-looking device she received when she got him from the lab. "The uh, I think it's a Pokedex. What about it?"

"There's a small slit in the bottom, right? Take out what's in there." Following the Charmander's instructions, Sunset eyed the odd phone-dex and spotted a small slit. There was an indent in the center for grabbing what was there, so she pulled the card from the phone. Seeing an ID, she couldn't help but stare at it with questions streaming through her mind. "That's your trainer ID, the one that lets everyone know you're you and that you're a registered trainer." Saioga lifted a clawed arm and scratched his head. "Guess I should have told you about that before. You use it to register for the league, get any money you've stored in the bank, and other such things. Oh, and you also run it through some device in the gyms after you win. I don't remember the details, but it's some cheat-proof thing people came up with after badges were being stolen for a few years. You still get badges, but your win gets recorded in your ID, too."

Nodding almost dumbly, Sunset slid the card back into the phone slit. "Right... In other words, don't lose it..." Carefully placing the phone back into her pocket, she let out a small sigh. "Oh brother, I'm sighing way too much today..."

Saioga laughed, shaking his reptillian head. "Actually, it's okay to lose it. So long as you remember that number that's on it, that is. Your ID number can be looked up by some of those machines, and there's a picture of you that shows up along with your information. Just remember that number and you're in the clear no matter what happens."

"Oh great, now to remember something I'm bound to forget." Chuckling lightly at herself, Sunset looked ahead along the road. They had gotten a decent distance while talking, considering their slow pace. "Alright, so now I've gotta find some money somehow so I can start betting people." To think the world wasn't as easy as she had thought. On the other hand, it did make more sense than the games ever could.

"Wait... Maybe, just maybe..." Growing hopeful, Sunset slung her bag over her shoulder and crouched down, setting it on the ground and opening it up.

Saioga stopped walking and looked back, eying the pack curiously. "Maybe what? What are you looking for?"

Sunset smiled slightly, digging through the clothes that seemed to have no end. "I couldn't be broke, right? Surely I was smart enough to have money for when I became a trainer. Sure I don't know how I was before I was pulled here, but surely the me that grew up here wasn't a complete idiot. Right?" It was quite the longshot, but she could hope.

"Actually, I don't really know." Saioga glanced skyward in thought. "The Unown might've just made you suddenly exist in everyone's minds, so maybe you don't own anything at all. Or hey, maybe the Unown gave you a complete past and you saved a fortune. It could be any way, really, so don't get your hopes up too far if there's nothing. I don't want you to be too disa-"

"A-ha!" Sunset grinned and pulled a few bills out from the bottom of her backpack. "Please tell me these are worth a hundred each, or something." Setting four of the five bills back in the bag, she examined the individual bill. There was a "P" with a double line through it, the symbol she knew all too well from in the games, in the top right and top left corner on both sides. One side had what appeared to be a surfing Clefairy in the center of the bill, the waves fading out as they moved further toward the sides, and the other side had the number ten with some styalized design that seemed to be similar to waves in a tribal type style to each side of it. "I'm guessing this means it's only ten dollars... Or, uh, Pokedollars? Huh... I need to figure out what the currency is called here." Shrugging her shoulders lightly, Sunset grabbed the other four bills and took a look at them as well. They were all the same, a smiling and surfing Clefairy on one side with a ten on the other side. "So much for being rich. Oh well, at least it's something. I think... What does a potion cost? And a pokeball?" Though she was tempted to ask, she held back asking about a sleeping bag.

"Well alright then, so you have something after all!" Saioga grinned wryly and gave a small nod, then tilted his head to the side in thought. "A potion... Let's see here... What did those cost..." After several seconds of silence, he raised his arms in a shrug. "Sorry, I don't know the cost of anything." He snickered lightly, taking a bit of humor from not having the answer this time around.

Sunset hung her head at the answer she got, then laughed lightly. "Ah, that's fine. We'll see what's what when we get to the next town. Or city. Violet City is the next stop after here, right? I know it is in the game, but the game world is small enough to leave out a lot. Guess we'll just have to keep going and find out, huh?" Softly laughing again, Sunset carefully folded the bills and slide them into her pocket. Zipping the bag closed, she hefted it up and slung it over her shoulder to once more rest on her back. "Onward we go!"

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We've never seen Pokedollars, I don't think, game or show or anywhere. That being the case, I'm kinda creating it as I go along, as you the readers can probably tell from the ten Pokedollar bill. Feel free to suggest ideas for what can be on the other bills and the coins. It's still a major work in progress in my head, so I have no idea how many different bills or coins there will be. One way or another though, they shall be made! After all, what's a world without money?

Also, a question for you the readers. Should the currency really be called "Pokedollars", or should it be something else? If you think it should be something else for this story, and probably whatever other Pokemon stories I make, please say so and feel free to suggest names for it.

~I look forward to seeing you all next chapter~


	9. Chapter 9

Alright, so. The currency will now be called Dia for in this story, and any other Pokemon stories I write. A friend suggested I use Dia, since that's what I'm calling the currency on my roleplay site. If anyone wants a justification, here it is:

Money is timeless. It's there no matter what time you're in. Dialga is the master of time. Dia as the first half of that time masters name.

Technically, I was thinking of diamonds when I created that short currency name, so uh... What a coincidence, eh? Anywho, I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

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Chapter 9: Lost and Found

"Oh boy..." Sunset glanced around, not halting her step, and gave a small sigh.

Saioga, ever observant, tilted his head and asked, "what's the problem?"

"Well, uh, I think we're lost." Seeing Saioga about to question or make a remark, Sunset scratched her cheek and spoke again. "I know we haven't been walking for long, but there's no road. And so far, I've never failed to get lost when there wasn't a road or path to follow." Chuckling lightly, sheepish, she shrugged her shoulders up.

As expected, the little lizard Pokemon gave a laugh. "I thought you were good with directions."

Sunset looked off to the side with a small pout. "Yeah, I am. So long as the directions are heading back to where I started, that is. So unless you want to get back to Cherrygrove, don't let me lead the way." Another small and sheepish chuckle escaped her after speaking and she scratched her nose.

Setting his right paw to his forehead, Saioga gave a shake of his head. "At least we aren't in a hurry. Hey, maybe you'll get better with directions after we travel for a while." Seeing the doubtful look in the girls eye, he let out another small laugh. "Anything's possible."

Not denying the possibility, though not very convinced of it happening, Sunset eyed the trees around them. She could see several Ledyba crawling amongst the branches, their shelled wings more shiny than she recalled them being from- No, she had to stop thinking back to the games and the show. It just wouldn't work for this world.

The several black-spotted, red bug Pokemon looked almost like mutated ladybugs. Not mutated by having differences added or anything, but mutated in their size. Though, their eyes were indeed larger in comparison to normal ladybugs, even scaled, if she recalled properly, and they had white ball-like feet on the ends of their black legs. Ladybugs or not, they didn't look as harmless as they should. They were, after all, about three feet in size. That was even larger than her Charmander, which she couldn't deny as being at least a bit disconcerting.

Catching sight of movement higher up, and hearing a flutter, Sunset turned her eyes skyward. It was lucky that the Ledyba were calm Pokemon, not aggressive at all, so she would try to convince herself that it was alright to not watch them and wait for an attack. Looking for what she glimpsed, she caught sight of some birds. To be more specific, a small group of Pidgey. They were flying among the treetops, so she could only count four of them. There may have been more, or maybe she even slipped up and counted one of them more than once.

Once the bird Pokemon were out of sight, Sunset dropped her eyes back to the trees. Luck or not, she managed to keep clear of walking into any trees while stepping forward without paying any real attention to her feet. She caught a glimpse of green and yellow for a second before the creature the colors belonged to slipped behind one of the many trees. It wasn't hard to guess what the colors belonged to. The shade from the trees had made it impossible to catch sight of the black marks that went with the green and yellow, but it didn't stop the legs from being perfectly noticeable. "Spinarak..." The word coming out in only a mumble, she began curving her path so she could walk a bit further from that specific spot than if she had simply continued straight forward.

"Hm? Is there something wrong with it?" Saioga tilted his head and blinked in slight confusion as he looked up at Sunset. He had good enough hearing to know what she said, but didn't know why she seemed to think of the spider Pokemon as a problem.

"Oh, uh... Eh-heh..." Sunset gave a halfhearted smile to her little friend and scratched the back of her neck. "I uh... I know it's probably nothing to worry about, but I kinda have a thing about spiders..."

Saioga simply stared, dumbfounded, for a few long moments. He then burst into a fit of rather loud laughter. "You- hahaha- are afraid of- haha- spiders? Hahahahaha!"

"Eugh..." Sunset narrowed her eyes at the orange lizard with a small pout and crossed her arms stubbornly. "It's not the spiders I'm afraid of, alright? It's the bites. Spider bites are annoying, and itchy, and they burn, and they hurt, and they're incredibly annoying, and they itch a lot. Did I mention itchy and annoying? No? They Itch. A lot. It's annoying."

Sunset's words did nothing but increase and louden Saioga's laughing. It annoyed her terribly, but she also knew just how pathetic she must sound to him. A Pokemon trainer that caught and evolved a Spinarak, then taken into the world as a real trainer, then suddenly afraid to even go near the spider Pokemon.

Thinking of it that way, Sunset couldn't help but start laughing as well. Not nearly as hard as Saioga, but it was funnily idiotic enough for her to at least chuckle about a little. "Alright, I admit it, I'm not too smart about things like this."

A bit of time was taken to calm Saioga's laughing fit, but it did calm eventually.

While waiting for his laughing to subside, Sunset's mind ended up wondering to her Pokemon. She couldn't help but give voice her question, which was slowly but surely giving her some impatience. "Hey, Saioga? When do you think we'll find anyone else?" She was hoping to run across Meowth first, really. A sleeping bag was bound to cost more than just a simple thirty or forty Dia, so the cat Pokemon with his money making attack would be incredibly helpful.

Finally settled down again, Saioga gave a small shrug of his reptillian shoulders. "I wouldn't know. They could show up any time at all. Maybe a week from now, maybe a month from now." It looked like he was going to say more, but be paused and stared off in the distance. "Or, hey, maybe even right now."

"Now? As in, now now?" Sunset glanced around but didn't see anything. Noticing Saioga nod and lift an arm to point with a claw, she followed where he was pointing and saw a Pidgey perched on a low tree branch not too far away. She couldn't tell if it was one of the Pidgey that flew by not too long ago, but it did look pretty comfortable sitting on the branch.

"I don't think he believes that you're actually here. If he did, he probably wouldn't be sitting there and just eying us like that." Saioga then raised his voice and waved over to the Pidgey. "Hey, Pidgey, it's us!"

The bird Pokemon simply sat where he was, watching silently. Instead of giving any sort of normal response, he narrowed his eyes slightly.

Watching the small brown and white bird curiously, Sunset crossed her arms. "Are you sure he's mine? I don't remember suspicious being a nature, and I know it wasn't my flying buddies nature. He was modest. Or was it timid... Uhh..." Trailing off, Sunset scratched her head. "Great, I can't remember what he was..."

A laugh escaped Saioga as he shook his head. "You have the worst memory, sometimes." He grinned when he saw the bird widen his eyes slightly in surprise. "Alright, how about why you kept him around? Do you remember that, at least?"

"Of course I remember that!" Sunset frowned slightly, looking to her Charmander. "How could I -not- keep him around? He was there because he was my flying buddy. Sure, I could have taught stronger Pokemon that move, but it wouldn't have been the same without him. Call me bias, I don't care."

"That can't really be her..." Pidgey had his head slightly tilted to the side, eying Sunset in disbelief.

This time it was Saioga that crossed his arms. Only difference was that he was grinning. "Better believe it. Sunset made it here in one piece." As if to confirm his own statement, he gave a curt nod.

Sunset waved her hand once, looking to the slightly shocked Pidgey. "Yep, I made it. Somehow. Don't ask me how, I don't know. One second I was in front of the computer playing my game, and the next I was out cold and waking up in some weird house." She turned her focus to Saioga next. "And what do you mean one piece? Please say you only mean the expression, and that there wasn't a risk of me being torn to shreds."

Shock was a light term for what Pidgey was feeling at that point. He was dumbfounded. "How in the world can she understand you? Or me? Or is that just a fluke?"

Another laugh made its way from the orange lizard Pokemon. "No, no, there wasn't a risk of that. I don't think there was, anyway. I only meant the saying." His grin widening, while he was still laughing, he eyed the small bird Pokemon. "I'm a special case, but she can hear you because of Mewtwo. Well, and Mew. Mewtwo invented it, but Mew delivered it." Saioga nodded, thinking on just how he could word what he was saying, then pointed to Sunset's neck. "That pendant around her neck is Mewtwo's design and how she can understand everyone."

Still in disbelief, Pidgey beat his wings and lifted from the branch he was on. Slowly, he made his way over to Sunset and landed on her right shoulder. He looked as if he was ready to take off at a seconds notice. "I see the chain, but not a pendant." Eyes narrowing, he quickly shot down and pecked at the chain that was exposed and just above the top of her shirt. The peck earned a small yelp from Sunset, his beak hitting her skin a bit more than he intended. She also jerked to the side, recoiling from what he knew was a bit of pain, which caused him to flap his wings a bit to keep on her shoulder. Not paying much attention at all to anything but getting to see the pendant for what it was, he barely heard Saioga yell "hey, be careful!" at him. He did manage to snatch the chain in his beak, so he lifted his head and brought the multicolored pendant out from its hiding place. Psychic power wasn't something that was easily missed, especially not when it was strong, so Pidgey froze and simply stared at the pendant when his eyes caught sight of it. "Oh... So it is..." Though unspoken, he didn't think a pendant would be something of Mewtwo's creation. Seeing was believing, however. And he knew for a fact that Mewtwo wouldn't do anything at all, especially not something like this, for someone he didn't know or like. Lowering his head, he gently set the chain back down on Sunset's skin and eyed the small drop of blood that formed where he had accidently pecked her. "Uhh... Sorry about that." He knew the Charmander was the same one and wasn't lying now, so he felt just a bit bad about being too hasty and harsh. To show he really didn't mean any harm, he ruffled his feathers up slightly and gave a small tilt of his head, eying Sunset apologetically.

Staring down at where she was pecked as best she could, Sunset had to resist messing with the area. It was a small little injury, really. It looked like a bug bite that she scratched too much and made bleed. Being small, she wanted to make sure she didn't end up making it any bigger by doing anything. Still, the urge to at least brush the blood away was there. "It's fine. Just a small... peck? Uhh... I'll just call it a bite..." Nodding slowly, she grabbed the top of her shirt and lifted it to dab the blood. Luckily enough, the injury was so small it was already almost done bleeding. "If it's any consolation, I thought Mew was going to attack me when all he was doing was trying to give me the pendant. So you aren't the only shocked one."

Arms still crossed, Saioga looked back and forth between Sunset and the bird perched a little uneasily on her shoulder. "Maybe you should take him unaware with a pokeball before he decides to take off."

Almost in a glare, Pidgey narrows his eyes at Saioga. "Now that I know she's really her, I wont be taking off. Maybe I shouldn't have doubted it after she spoke about the time back in the game, but that pendant's more than enough proof to me that she's her." Slowly, he turned his head to eye Sunset again. "At least, I think she's her."

"Come on, paranoia's my job, not yours." Sunset couldn't hold in a short laugh after the comment. "If you don't want to come with us, I wont force you." She nodded and gave a small smile, then hmm'd and scratched her head. "Well, I might... Kinda hard to resist having a Pidgeotto around."

Both Saioga and Pidgey stared at Sunset, curious. It was Pidgey that spoke first, cutting off Saioga before he could even get one word in. "What is it with you and Pidgeotto? Pidgeot is the stronger evolution, so not evolving is weird."

Chuckling lightly, Sunset ducked her head down slightly. "What can I say, I'm bias... Pidgeot's long hair is... Well, off-putting, to me. They also look old and almost worn out. Pidgeotto just look plain awesome and in their prime." Now smirking slightly, remembering the differences of the two evolutionary forms of the same bird, Sunset nodded absentmindedly.

Shaking his head, Saioga gave a sigh. "Well, you like what you like." Snickering lightly, he once more shifted his attention to the bird. "Whatever you're doing, think you could point the way out? Sunset got us lost." After speaking, more snickering escaped him.

"Oh, don't remind me... I swear I'm either cursed by directions or blessed by returns..." Sunset spoke just above a grumble, annoyed at just how bad she was even when she tried her best.

Pidgey extended his right wing a moment before bringing it in to his chest in a proud posture. "Sure thing, Charmander. Finding the way is easy from the sky." If he didn't have a beak, he would likely be smirking right then.

"Saioga. I've got a name." Saioga grinned slightly as he corrected the bird.

"What? You never had a name before." Pidgey stared at the Charmander a moment before once more turning his eyes to Sunset. "Did he demand a name, or did you actually have one for him?"

Scratching her cheek, Sunset chuckled lightly. "Actually, I've got a name for everyone. I just never really used any of them." A bit embarrassed by just how bad her memory was when she tried naming her Pokemon once, she looked off to the side.

Amused, Pidgey was not. "So that means I have a name too, right?" Seeing her nod, he continued. "Let me guess, the whole trainer rules deal stops you from telling me until I'm caught."

Saioga waved his arms when Sunset looked to him for the answer. "Hey, don't look at me. I don't know a thing about that."

"Alright, fine. Get out a pokeball. I was going to do this later, but I want to know the name you never gave me." Without arms to cross, the best Pidgey could do was stare rather boredly.

Nodding to the bird on her shoulder, Sunset shifted to slide the backpacks strap from her left shoulder. Trying not to disturb Pidgey, she simply left the right strap where it was and held the bag in front of herself with as much space as she could manage while it dangled from one arm. She didn't recall seeing any pokeballs when she dug through looking for the money, so she checked the side pockets. Neither one had any Pokeballs. Hoping her mother of this world didn't misplace them after being nice enough to give them to her, she unzipped the center pouch and checked there. Sitting at the bottom of the crease in that pouch was three pokeballs. Grinning like an idiot at being able to find them, and just for actually having them, Sunset grabbed one and zipped the pouch closed again. Sliding her left arm back into the strap and adjusting the bag to comfortably rest at her back again, she lifted the ball up to Pidgey. "Here you go."

"You should think about organizing your bag." Pidgey shook his head, then pecked the pokeball. His beak coming in contact with the red and white ball caused it to open and encase him with a red light. Only a second later, he was inside the ball.

Expecting the pokeball to shake around a bit, Sunset was surprised that it only shook once before becoming still. Just to make sure it wasn't going to shake any more, she stared at it for a few long moments. "Okay, wasn't expecting it to do that..." Shrugging her shoulders lightly, she clicked the button and let Pidgey back out of the ball. He appeared in midair, flapping his wings to stay in flight, after the red beam of light brought him out. "Your name is Sora."

Pidgey cocked his head to the side and thought about that. "Sora, huh? Not exactly what I was expecting, but alright. Now, let me see about pointing you the right way." Nodding, he flew up passed the trees and circled. After a few long moments, he flew back down and landed on Sunset's left shoulder and pointed a wing to his left. "Straight thataway."

Saioga was silent for a moment, seeming to try to hold in laughter, but then his laugh escaped him. "I thought we were going straight, but we ended up veering off course. Sunset, you really are bad with directions!" He kept laughing as Sunset sighed in defeat and started slowly walking the way Sora pointed them toward, Saioga close behind while still laughing at her inability to go the right way.

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* next time, my readers.-*


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